Celebrating life at Barchester

Happy 94th Birthday to our wonderful Mary! 

Today at Bere Grove, we celebrated a very special resident, Mary turned 94! Mary has been a much-loved part of life at Bere Grove since 2023 and is a very familiar and friendly face around the home.

Residents gathered in our café to mark the occasion with delicious birthday cake, lovingly prepared by Nico, our Second Chef. There was plenty of smiles, laughter and birthday cheer as everyone came together to celebrate Mary’s special day.

Wishing Mary a very happy birthday from all of us at Bere Grove! 
 

It was all dragons and roses all round, as residents and staff celebrated St George’s Day. Legend has it St George was a soldier in the Roman army who slayed a dragon and saved a princess, the anniversary of his death is celebrated as England’s national day.

In honour of the patron saint of England, staff and residents at the home marked the day with a delightfully British Pimm’s Picnic, filled with laughter, song, sunshine, and the best company!

Everyone enjoyed Pimm's a-plenty, alongside a delicious spread of British fare, whilst singing along to patriotic tunes; the perfect recipe for a memorable afternoon! The celebrations didn’t stop there, the home also proudly presented their very own “Keep Calm and Carry On” style awards, recognising resident’s unique personalities, kindness, and contributions that make the home so special.

Rose Lodge was full celebrations for one of their staff who is retiring after almost 22 years of loyal service. Joyce Turney started at Rose Lodge in July 2004 as a Senior Care Assistant and has since progressed to Care Practitioner after completing her training. Joyce started working day shifts but has since progressed to working nights and manages the dementia community. 

General Manager Meg Jones said: “Joyce has been a stalwart member of the Rose Lodge family for such a long time and has supported so many of us on our own journeys here as well. Joyce has always been a well-liked and regarded member of the team who has given so much. We now wish her well in her retirement and know she is going to enjoy some special time with her family. Thank you for everything you have done Joyce”  

Staff, residents and family members have yet again been celebrating after the Care Inspectorate’s latest inspection results were published.

The three-person team from the Care Inspectorate visited the home unannounced on between 16 March and 18 March, and the home, run by the award-winning Barchester Healthcare, was rated as “very good” overall for the second successive inspection.  The inspectors spoke with staff, residents and family members, and found that there were “significant strengths” in the quality of care provided, and that staff at the home provided “very skilled” levels of care.

The report stated, “We could see that staff were kind, responsive and very caring.  They were also very skilled in engaging people in a variety of activities (and) observed people having lots of fun”, adding that “people were positive about the food and drink offered in Highview.”

Rose Lodge was full celebrations for one of their staff who celebrated 10 years of service.  Kelly Watson started at Rose Lodge in April 2010 and supports the home, her colleagues, visitors and residents each day and is often the first smiling face a lot of residents and visitors see each day

Kelly said “Thank you so much, I wasn’t expecting all of this but it’s so lovely to be recognised and such lovely gifts as well. Thank you to everyone for all of this, it’s just lovely and I am very happy here”  

Staff and residents have been gripped by cricket fever after a fantastic visit from Starbeck Cricket Club.

Thistle Hill Care Home, hosted a cricket-themed session where residents, families and staff enjoyed chatting about the game, watching demonstrations and getting involved with batting and throwing. There were plenty of smiles and laughter throughout, and residents loved the opportunity to try something different in a relaxed and supportive environment.

Staff and residents at the home sent Lyn off in style with prosecco (and nosecco) cocktails, tasty treats (including a Bailey’s cream cake) and presents to thank her for many years of dedication.  It was a lovely afternoon filled with tasty treats, friends, co-workers old and new (including former manager Morag Lindsay, Seaview’s manager Gayle Magennis and their administrator, Barbara Smith, and clinical development nurse Lorraine, Lyn’s daughters Megan and Bronwyn and grandson Ross), and of course, the residents. 

Everyone at the home has very fond memories of Lyn and she will be sadly missed, though wish her all the best in her retirement as she deserves it!

Residents and staff welcomed families, guests and the local community to join us for our Glamorous Hollywood Open Day, bringing glamour, laughter and community spirit together for a memorable day!.

Guests enjoyed a warm welcome as they toured the home, met the team and were invited to stay to enjoy delicious canapes made by our head chef, and enjoy the live music for the afternoon.

A highlight of the day was the charity fundraising activity in support of Barchester's Charitable Foundation where our Hitchin Community Police Officers and Operations Manager Katy for a classic fundraising game of " stocks and sponges" the activity bought plenty of laughter whilst raising valuable funds for the foundation. 

Families and guests along with staff and residents had a wonderful day, and the team thank everyone for who attended and supported the fundraising efforts making the day such a success!.